


Then And Now

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-30
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 22:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Episode 8 of Fantasy Season 8, it's the first Cheese Day of the Santos years. And a member of senior staff is sacked.





	Then And Now

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

EPISODE 8.8 - Written by Shelley

THEN AND NOW 

TEASER

INTERIOR WHITE HOUSE

NORTH LOBBY

6:35 AM

Sam juggled his briefcase, his silver travel coffee mug, and a lukewarm whole-wheat bagel (which Lauren had insisted he take 'to go') as he swiped his plastic ID to officially begin his workday. One of the things his fiancée was finding hardest to deal with since their cross country relocation to DC was a serious lack of leisurely breakfasts and relaxing dinners like those they had shared almost daily in California. Sam's erratic work schedule was playing hell with their eating habits and Lauren was not at all pleased. She hadn't even bothered to hide her annoyance as she thrust the toasted bagel into his hand 20 minutes earlier, insisting it was "better than nothing", as he hurried past her out the door with a quick peck on the cheek.

"You're in early this morning, Mr. Seaborn," Tyrone said cheerily from his seat at the security station.

"Today is the kind of day that demands an early start," Sam said as he stuffed his ID in his pocket. He stopped in front of the large oak guard's desk and regarded Tyrone. "Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose."

"Give me a second." The wheels in Tyrone's head spun visibly. "Longfellow?" he guessed.

"That's right. I haven't stumped you in almost two weeks."

"When I ace my exams and finally graduate I'll buy you a beer."

"Deal," Sam smiled amiably. He started towards his office but turned back after a few steps. "Did Ron Butterfield talk to you about what's going on this morning?"

"Yes, sir. I'm going to handle it myself." Tyrone slipped efficiently back into work mode. "Just let me know when you're ready."

"Give me 15 minutes after Ms. Gardner enters the building then report to her office."

"Will do, Mr. Seaborn."

"Thanks, Tyrone," Sam called over his shoulder as he set off down the hall towards his office.

CUT TO

INTERIOR JOSH AND DONNA'S APARTMENT

SAME TIME

"Do you have your speech all ready?" Donna called from the bathroom where she was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. In the mirror she could see Josh standing by the bed making a third attempt at getting the knot in his tie straight. She smiled.

"Speech?" he answered, not looking up from the task at hand.

"Your Cheese Day speech," she said as she entered the bedroom. "Something to rally the troops. Get them excited about giving voice to the everyman."

Josh snorted loudly as he dropped his hands to his sides, deciding his latest attempt at tie tying was straight enough. "These people are not the 'everyman'. These people are nuts. Calling them a fringe element is being generous."

"Be nice," Donna warned.

"I am nice. I'm letting them in the building, aren't I? In fact, I invited them in."

"I'm beginning to think you only invited them in to make fun of them." Donna moved to the large dresser near the foot of their bed and picked up her earrings.

"Not true."

Donna arched an eyebrow and Josh caught the look in the dresser's mirror.

"OK, maybe a little," he conceded. "But mostly I'm doing it because…." His voice trailed off as he reached behind him to retrieve his suit coat from the bed.

"I know." Donna crossed to stand directly in front of him. She smoothed down his lapels and straightened his tie. "Leo would be honored that you're continuing the Cheese Day tradition in his memory." 

"I hope so. It's just that it still hurts, ya know?"

Donna squeezed his hand. "I know."

"I don't want people to forget him. I want him to be part of the Santos administration. The way he was supposed to be."

"It's a great idea," Donna said with certainty. "He would have loved it."

"He would have loved the thought of someone mocking me during my speech the way I used to mock him." Josh picked his Blackberry up off the bedside table and dropped it in his pocket. He caught Donna's eye and smiled, letting her know that he wanted this to be a happy day and didn't want to get maudlin.

"Exactly! And since you so kindly invited Annabeth and I to participate, I'll be there to see every minute of it. So that's even better."

"You'll probably be leading the mockers."

"Let the Cheese Day festivities begin," Donna thrust her arms in the air and cheered. Josh couldn't help but smile broadly.

"I have to touch base with Sam as soon as we get in," he said as he performed a last minute check to make sure he had everything. "I need to see how things went with Amy."

Donna frowned slightly. "Are you expecting a problem?"

"We're talking about Amy Gardner here."

"True," Donna nodded. "Do you think Sam can handle her?"

"I really do. I started to tell you last night after I talked to him," Josh grabbed his wallet off the dresser and they headed to the living room, "but then you did that thing with your tongue and I lost my train of thought."

Donna smirked. "Started to tell me what?"

"There was something different about Sam during our conversation."

"Different how?" Donna turned off the lights in the kitchen and living room.

"Tougher. More focused. More confident even. He's furious that Amy went behind our backs."

"That's understandable."

"The fact that she did it on the bill that's the cornerstone of the President's agenda…"

"Makes it worse." Donna finished his sentence.

"Yeah. I mean I've seen Sam pissed before. This is more than that."

"More?"

Josh shook his head. "I have a feeling Amy isn't gonna know what hit her."

CUT TO INTERIOR AMY'S OFFICE

7:25 AM

Sam stood stiffly in the doorway to the office of the Director of Legislative Affairs. Amy Gardner was sitting at her desk, tension radiating off her body as she tapped a pencil angrily on her blotter. Her left fist was clenched as she spoke animatedly on the phone she held tightly to her right ear.

"I've left at least ten messages on his voicemail since yesterday and he hasn't returned any of them. I need to talk to him NOW. No, don't put me on hold. No…no…DAMMIT." She pounded the desk.

Sam glared at her for a full minute before she noticed him. She held up her finger indicating that she'd only be a minute.

"Yes. I'm still here. Look, just have the Congressman get back to me the second he's available." She hung up with a growl and turned to face her boss.

"What do you need, Sam?" she asked hurriedly as she rifled through the files and papers cluttering her desk's surface.

Sam stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. "A request for you to come to my office first thing, Amy, means just that. First thing. It doesn't mean at your earliest convenience." Sam spoke calmly.

Amy didn't look up from the mess on her desk. "I have a million things to do today. That ridiculous lockdown put me so far behind it'll take the rest of the week to catch up."

Sam was silent as Amy continued talking, seemingly oblivious to his anger.

"I can't believe all the crap that piled up while I was wasting my day locked in a room full of tourists. There's no way I'm gonna be able to sit down with you today. Maybe tomorrow. Let's say lunch?"

"I don't care how much you have to catch up on." Sam's tone was measured. "When I say I want to see you first thing it means just that."

"Aye aye, Captain." Amy looked up and gave a mock salute then went back to her foraging. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sam smiled inwardly. He found that, to his great surprise, he was looking forward to what was about to happen.

"I took your meeting with Cal Richards yesterday."

Amy's head snapped up. She'd spent all night trying to get the Congressman on the phone with no success. She'd been hoping his lack of availability had something to do with what happened at the Capitol yesterday and nothing more.

"He showed up here thinking he had a meeting with you."

"I TOLD his assistant that I was stuck in the lockdown and we'd have to reschedule," Amy said angrily.

"A wire must have gotten crossed somewhere," Sam said. "But since we really need his help on the education thing, and didn't want him to feel like we weren't making him a priority, I took the meeting myself."

"The guy's a flake." Amy waved her hand dismissively but finally gave Sam her undivided attention. "Thanks for sitting down with him but I can take it from here."

Sam held her gaze. "He had some very interesting things to say."

Amy froze. The fear that had been building in the pit of her stomach since the night before became reality in a flash. Sam knew about the deal she had offered Richards, and he wasn't happy. It was going to take real finesse to get things back on track. She took a deep breath, regrouped, then drained her paper coffee cup and tossed it in the garbage.

"Ignore him," she scoffed. "He's small potatoes. I'm working on getting us the votes we need elsewhere."

Sam watched with fascination as Amy continued wrapping the metaphorical rope around her own neck.

"This bill is gonna pass. Just leave it to me."

"We did leave it you, Amy. And that was a mistake." 

"Look, Sam, there's a reason you and Josh made me the point person on the Hill for education. I know what I'm doing. You just worry about the things you've got on your plate right now and leave this to me."

"I'm your boss. What's on your plate is on mine."

"I'm just saying, I'm not some neophyte you need to keep an eye on every minute, though God knows there are plenty of those around this place. Josh trusts me to handle this. The President trusts me to handle this. There's no reason you shouldn't do the same."

Sam shook his head incredulously. "You're not offering congressmen the deals you've been authorized to offer them and instead you're making up your own deals as you go along. You don't think that should make us question any trust we may have placed in you? How about the fact that you're putting your own political agenda above the President's? Or that you're dealing away valuable political capital on bills that aren't going anywhere? That shouldn't have us concerned?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Amy gritted her teeth. "And I really don't have time to go back and forth with you right now."

"Make time," Sam said, keeping his place in front of the closed door.

"I've got to see Josh before this ridiculous Cheese Day thing gets underway. I need to brief him, then get back to the Hill and try to make up the ground I lost yesterday."

"You won't be going back to the Hill today, Amy. Your services are no longer required."

"What are you talking about?" Amy came out from behind her desk and faced him defiantly.

"I spent half the night talking to people on the Hill about what you've been promising them over the last few weeks. Don't even bother trying to deny it."

Amy advanced on him, eyes blazing. "Don't tell me how to do the job Matt Santos hired me to do."

"He didn't hire you to run the Amy Gardner agenda."

"As long as he gets what he wants…"

Sam cut her off. "We were five votes down on the education bill and you were willing to squander the six Richards could give us. What if he hadn't gone for the deal on 722?" His voice was starting to rise.

"I knew he'd take it," Amy insisted.

"Until somebody wisely points out to him that he's trading his votes for nothing. 722 is a throw away. Then he comes back at the last minute looking for more."

"I have a plan to get the votes we need and then some. We don't need Richards," Amy spat out.

"That's not how it works, Amy. And the fact that you would actually try to make an argument to me that it is makes it very clear you aren't the right person for this job."

"What are you trying to say?"

Amy glared icily at him and Sam glared right back.

"You're fired. You have thirty minutes to gather your personal belongings…."

"You can't fire me!" Amy fumed.

"I can and I am," Sam said calmly. He reached behind him and opened her office door revealing a waiting guard. "Tyrone will watch you pack. Take only your personal items. No White House documents, no work product and no schedules. Turn in your ID on your way out."

"I'm going to see Josh." Amy's face and neck were beet red.

"Feel free. He's fully aware of what's going on."

"You two are delusional if you think you can get away with this. Matt Santos hired me personally. He's the only one that can fire me."

"Then by all means, go and see him," Sam stepped out of the doorway.

Amy stalked past him and started down the hall but turned back when Sam spoke again.

"I'm willing to live and let live if you end up back at the WLC or in some other position where we'll have to deal with each other professionally. That's the nature of this business. But if I ever hear so much as a whisper of you trying to make trouble for this administration, if I hear you breathed even one word insinuating that this firing was personally motivated on Josh's part, or if you try to play on even one piece of inside information you gained while you were here, you will be very, very sorry."

"Don't threaten me, Sam," Amy sneered. "You're not the intimidating type."

"Don't make the mistake of confusing kindness with weakness, Amy."

She began walking backwards down the hall. "Only one of us will be here at the end of the day, Sam. I plan on it being me."

CUT TO

INTERIOR OVAL OFFICE

"Please tell me this isn't going to throw the education bill off track," Matt said with a hint of agitation in his voice. He was sitting behind his desk, absentmindedly rearranging his pictures of Helen and the kids in an attempt not to look directly at his Chief of Staff.

"We're fine," Josh answered from his position near the couch. His posture was relaxed, arms hanging loosely at his sides. "Sam spent most of the night on the phone with key people. We'll have to deal with last minute wobblers as always but we're in good shape."

"We need this win."

"We'll get it, sir."

"I don't understand what's been going on. They're willing to accept the roads package in return for their votes on the education bill, right?"

Josh nodded.

"And we stood right in this very office and decided that was the best offer to make, right?"

"Yes," Josh said evenly.

"Then why was the welfare issue even on the table?"

"Because, sir," Josh took a deep breath and measured his words carefully. "Amy Gardner is incapable of passing up any opportunity to run her own agenda. That's why I had to fire her during the campaign."

"The welfare bill will never pass anyway," Matt stated with a hint of anger in his voice.

"No, it won't. But that isn't good enough for Amy. She believes in complete annihilation."

"And Richards was willing to go for that?"

Josh took a deep breath. "Whether he was or not really isn't the point," he said tightly.

Matt's jaw clenched. "Who was supposed to be overseeing this?"

"Sam was. And ultimately I was. But the fact is, sir, we can't have a Director of Legislative Affairs that we're afraid to send to the Hill alone for fear of what she'll do."

Matt nodded his agreement, still not meeting Josh's eyes. "When's Sam firing her?"

"It should be right about now."

"There isn't gonna be any drama, right? We've done everything by the book?"

"Yes, sir."

As if on cue the intercom on Matt's desk buzzed.

"Yes, Ronna."

"Amy Gardner is here to see you, sir. She doesn't have an appointment but she says it's urgent."

"Send her in."

"Do you want me to leave?" Josh indicated his office door.

"No. Stay."

They both startled slightly as Amy barreled into the office and came to a stop in front of the President's desk. She sneered at Josh. "I should have known you'd be here."

Josh bit his tongue.

"What do you need, Amy?" Matt asked as he stood, drawing himself up to his full, somewhat intimidating, height. "I have a very busy day."

"I want you to tell Sam Seaborn that YOU are the one that hired me," Amy said haughtily. "And that he has no right to fire me. Not now. Not ever."

Matt ignored her demand and posed a question of his own. "Who authorized you to put the welfare bill on the table in exchange for education votes?"

"All due respect, sir, you hired me to do this job because you knew I'd be good at it. And I am. I do what I need to do to get your legislative agenda passed. How I do it should be of no concern to you."

Josh watched the conversation with disbelief.

"Really?" Matt raised his eyebrows.

"Really. And if there's a chance for me to advance the cause of women at the same time I get you what you want, you better believe I'm gonna grab it every time."

"And you make these decisions autonomously?"

"As long as you get what you want, sir, yes. I don't need Sam, or even Josh," Amy turned her head briefly and glared at Josh then turned back to the President, crossing her arms over her chest, "looking over my shoulder while I do my work."

"I asked you to come to work here to help with this administration's legislative agenda. Things we agree on as a team. If everyone is out there making their own deals, not only are we going to look like a bunch of amateurs, eventually it will come back to bite us."

"I've been in this game a long time, sir." Amy said arrogantly. "I know what I'm doing."

"I'm sure you think you do."

Josh dipped his head and grinned.

"As long as we all get what we want, sir……"

"Let me ask you something, Amy. If it ever comes to a point where you have to choose between advancing your agenda and advancing mine, which would you choose?"

"I'll worry about that when it happens, sir," Amy said smugly.

Matt shook his head. "Sam had my blessing when he fired you." He glanced at his watch. "You better get moving. You only have 20 minutes left."

Amy stared at him mutely; a look of utter disbelief on her face, then turned on her heels and stormed out of the office.

Matt stared down at his desk, rearranging the few papers there.

"So…." he mumbled.

"So. Let's put that behind us and get on with the day. Is there anything you need from me before your first meeting arrives?"

"No, I'm good."

"OK, then. I have a rousing Cheese Day speech to deliver to the staff." Josh moved towards his own office.

"I wish I was gonna be there to see that," Matt flashed his first genuine smile of the morning.

"No, you don't, sir. Because if you were, Margaret would shove a file in your hand and make you take a meeting with people who believe they've been abducted by aliens in a past life or some such thing."

Matt laughed and Josh reached for the knob on their connecting door.

"Josh…"

"Yes, sir?" Josh turned back to face his boss.

"Thanks for not saying 'I told you so'."

SMASH CUT TO TITLES

 

ACT ONE

INTERIOR JOSH'S OFFICE

CONTINUOUS

"I certainly can't say I'm sorry to see HER go." Margaret leaned against Josh's desk as he entered his office.

"Amy?" he questioned.

"Who else?" the redhead scoffed. "What I don't understand is why the President hired her to begin with. Why anyone would voluntarily choose to be within 1000 yards of that woman, I'll never know."

"You do realize I dated her once, right?" Josh's voice held a teasing tone.

"Actually more than once."

"So what do you suppose that says about me?"

"All I can think is that you must have been punishing yourself." Margaret shrugged her shoulders.

"For what?" Josh laughed.

"I don't know," Margaret shook her head, "but it must have been bad."

Josh laughed out loud. He was learning to appreciate Margaret's unique sense of humor, not to mention her straightforward honest manner, more every day. Even her own special brand of quirkiness was growing on him.

"I can't believe she had the nerve to question Sam's authority," Margaret tsked.

"Were you listening at the door?" Josh raised his eyebrows.

"Like I always told Leo, the walls in this place are paper thin."

"Huh. That's some pretty shoddy construction."

"For sure." Margaret nodded affirmatively.

"We should do something about it."

"I'll put it on your To Do list ".

Josh smiled and indicated the pile of folders in her arms. "Are we ready for this?

"Absolutely. Can't wait." Margaret said eagerly.

"OK then," Josh took a deep fortifying breath. "Let's get Cheese Day underway."

CUT TO 

INTERIOR HALLWAY

As they approached the Roosevelt Room Josh was busy running down his mental staff list trying to anticipate who among the staff would be most likely to give him the same kind of grief he'd always given Leo. The smart money was on Lou but he certainly couldn't discount Donna. Or Lester. Or even Annabeth. He steeled himself.

"Do you have the assignments ready?" he asked Margaret as they arrived at the door.

"I do indeed." Margaret's expression was inscrutable but there was a gleam in her eye as she tapped the folders she held in her arms.

"You look like the cat that ate the canary."

"I especially enjoyed working on this year's assignments," she replied matter-of-factly.

"What did you do, Margaret?"

She patted his arm and smiled. "It's nothing for you to concern yourself with. This is my area. Remember how we agreed you'd stay out of my area?"

"I remember. But can I just say that sometimes you scare me."

"I'm fine with that," she said with a straight face.

Despite her initial apprehension, Margaret found she loved being back in the White House and, as much as he exasperated her from time to time, loved working for Josh. But just like with Leo, she would brook no shenanigans when it came to the way her boss was treated.

CUT TO

INTERIOR ROOSEVELT ROOM

"Wanna share a bagel?" Donna asked as she looked over the wide variety of food arrayed on the table in front of her.

"Sure," Annabeth chirped happily. "I was running late this morning so I missed breakfast."

"Whole wheat okay?"

"Fine. Hey, do all the meetings in Josh's West Wing come with a spiffy buffet?"

Donna laughed. "I don't think so."

"Because the most you ever provided is half a tuna sandwich on rye."

"I didn't really provide that so much as you came to my office while I was eating and stared at it 'til I felt guilty and offered you some."

"Hmmm." Annabeth tilted her head and put her finger to her chin. "I thought it was a lunch meeting."

Donna picked up two small paper plates for the bagel.

"Is there any flavored cream cheese. I love that stuff."

"Honey nut ok?"

"Perfect."

Donna finished spreading the cream cheese and grabbed several napkins.

"So tell me again why this is called Big Block of Cheese Day?" Annabeth asked excitedly as they settled into two seats at the end of the room's long conference table.

"If I tell you, it'll steal Josh's thunder." Donna took a bite of her bagel. "Besides, he tells it better than I do."

"How's he doing? Is he ready for this?"

"I think so," Donna answered honestly. "It's something he really wants to do. To carry on Leo's tradition. How about you? How are you?"

"Me? I'm fine," Annabeth said with conviction. "I mean…it's still hard sometimes. But I try to remember him happy and smiling like he usually was and not how he was…the last time I saw him."

"That must have been hard." Donna reached over and touched her friend's arm.

"It was." Annabeth found herself drifting back in her mind to election night and finding Leo in his hotel suite. She managed to catch herself before the melancholy could take hold. This wasn't the time for that. She forced herself to think of happier things. "Did Mallory send you the new batch of baby pictures?"

"She did," Donna smiled broadly. "He's adorable."

"He sure is. He has Leo's smile," Annabeth winked. "He's gonna be a lady killer."

"That he is," Donna agreed.

"So…..Leo really loved this, huh? All these crazy meetings with offbeat characters."

"He did," Donna said, remembering Leo's joy on Cheese Days past. "More precisely I think he liked the idea of it, and putting the staff through it. Taking these kinds of meetings himself…not so much."

"Sounds like him." Annabeth smiled. She scooped up a small bit of cream cheese that had fallen on to her napkin and licked it off her finger. "I'm glad to get the chance to play even a small role in keeping the tradition alive. Remind me to thank Josh for inviting me."

"Wait till you see what kind of meeting you get stuck with first," Donna warned.

Just then the door to the room swung open.

CONTINUOS

ROOSEVELT ROOM

JOSH AND MARGARET ENTER

Lou and Bram sat on one side of the table, near the end. Lou was reading through a briefing memo and making notes in the margin while Bram attacked the plate of food in front of him with gusto. On the opposite side of the table, Lester and Otto engaged in a spirited game of tabletop football with a folded up paper plate. The seats in between were filled with assorted staffers and interns. Some were clicking away on Blackberry’s or laptops while others talked quietly amongst themselves. Ginger sat against the far wall holding a stenographer's pad in her lap looking bored.

"Good morning, everyone," Josh called as he strode through the door.

"Morning," came the collective mumble from the staff.

Josh was unfazed by their lack of enthusiasm. "I said GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE."

"MORNING, JOSH," they shouted with a little more energy.

"Great to see you all so energetic this morning. I hope you've all fortified yourself with this lovely spread Margaret ordered." Josh indicated the food on the table. "What's on the menu this morning, Margaret?"

The redhead pointed to each item as she spoke. "Cheese Danish, Eggwiches with cheese, Bagels with Cream Cheese, Mini Cheese Quiches and Cheddar Cheese muffins. Though I don't recommend the muffins because the fat content is through the roof."

Otto looked disdainfully at the empty muffin wrapper on the table in front of him. "Now you tell me."

"Is there coffee?" Josh asked.

"Yep." Margaret began fixing a cup exactly the way Josh liked it.

"It has a little melted Longhorn Colby in it. Is that ok?" she said with as she handed him the cup.

"Eww. No. I'll pass." He pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned.

Margaret smiled over her shoulder at Donna. "You're right. He's so gullible."

"I told you."

"Smart ass." Josh cast a mock glare in Donna's direction as he took the cup from Margaret.

"Bambi," she shot back.

Most of the staffers looked on in amusement. They'd become accustomed to Josh and Donna's special way of communicating while they were all out on the campaign trail together. However, the newer staffers and the interns looked a bit stunned. They weren't used to seeing anyone volley with the Chief of Staff.

"OK. Now that the comedy portion of the morning is out of the way, let's get started." Josh took up a position at the head of the table. "Today we are carrying on a great tradition begun by Leo McGarry during his tenure as President Bartlet's Chief of Staff. It's something he liked to call Big Block of Cheese Day. I'm not going to give the speech he always gave because I'm sure I couldn't do it justice…."

"It's not the same without the speech," Margaret shook her head, disappointment etched on her features.

Josh glanced sideways at her then continued. "Suffice it to say that this is a day when people who wouldn't normally have access to White House staffers get a chance to have their say. To voice their concerns. To be part of the process."

"To what end?" Lou asked with thinly veiled annoyance.

"To the end that we remember that this is the people's house and we're here doing their business," Josh replied. "All of them. Not just the ones with money and access."

"So where does the cheese come in?" Otto asked. "I mean aside from this lovely breakfast spread with the apparently toxic muffins."

"Is there a lunch buffet too?" Bram asked hopefully. "Because I'd like to put in my order for a pizza with extra cheese."

"There's no lunch buffet," Josh said.

"That's too bad," Lester opined. "That new place on 17th has great pizza. And they deliver."

"We're getting off track," Josh sighed.

"I think it will work better if you give the speech," Margaret said in a stage whisper. "It's a good speech."

"I thought maybe I should stay away from that," he said uncertainly.

"No. Give the speech," Margaret said definitively.

Josh cast a questioning look at Donna who smiled encouragingly and nodded.

He took a deep breath. "Andrew Jackson, in the lobby of his White House, kept a two ton block of cheese….."

CUT TO

INTERIOR SAM'S OFFICE

Sam sat at his desk; jaw tight, tapping his fingers angrily on his blotter.

"I understand, Congressman. Yes. Yes. I can see where you might get the idea we're a bit disorganized over here. But I assure you that's not the case."

He shifted the phone to his other ear.

"I understand. No. We're not making any deals on the welfare bill. That's off the table. Well Ms. Gardner was confused."

One of the assistants from Legislative Affairs entered the office timidly, carrying a stack of files.

"Mr. Lyman said I should bring these to you," she said softly.

"Thanks," Sam mouthed and pointed for her to leave them on the credenza. She placed the files where directed then made a quick exit.

"I have to take care of a few things here then I'm on my way up to the Hill. I'll meet you in your office in…let's say an hour, and we'll talk."

He grabbed a legal pad and began to scribble a note to Ginger.

"I straightened this all out with Cal Richards yesterday. We'll agree to support the road repair package in return for your votes on the education bill."

Sam finished the note and began to shove things into his briefcase.

"No, Congressman. It's not going to be possible for you to deal directly with Josh on this."

Sam was growing more agitated with every word the junior Congressman for South Dakota spoke.

"I understand your concerns Congressman, but I'm not going to allow you to try to hold the President to a deal he never authorized in the first place."

CUT TO

INTERIOR ROOSEVELT ROOM

"I spent a lot of time choosing just the right meeting for each of you so please, no trading," Margaret said as she handed out assignments to the staff.

Lou flipped open a red folder with her name neatly lettered on the tab. "You know, right up until this file landed in my hands I thought this entire day was some sort of elaborate practical joke."

"You thought wrong," Josh replied.

"What in the world is the Henry Martyn Robert Society anyway?"

Josh's head snapped toward his assistant. "Lou got the H. M. Robert guy?"

Margaret smiled enigmatically. "You're gonna love him," she assured the scowling Communications Director.

"I sincerely doubt that," Lou grumbled.

"You're going into this with the wrong attitude," Josh encouraged. "You have to find a way to make the meetings fun."

"Says the man without a folder," Lou fired back.

"Yeah. Where's your assignment?" Lester asked.

"I'm acting in more of a supervisory capacity on this."

"You just don't want to get too close to the crazies," Donna accused, flipping through her folder.

"That too," Josh nodded.

Otto looked a bit nervous. "They're not all crazy, right?"

"Who do you have?" Donna asked.

"Bram and I have Rockers for Reform."

Donna glanced at Margaret who was snickering behind her hand.

"They sound completely normal to me," Donna smiled with as much sincerity as she could.

"I don't think she's serious," Bram whispered across the table to Otto. "Let me see that folder."

Margaret returned to her seat with one folder left in her hand.

"What's that?" Josh asked. "I thought you weren't taking a meeting this year."

"It's the Coalition for the Advancement of Men's Rights," Margaret said.

Josh looked confused. "Really?"

"It was supposed to be Amy's."

Donna choked loudly on her last bite of bagel. Annabeth reached out instinctively and thumped her firmly on the back saying, "Arms up".

Josh looked around the room at the sea of folders until his eyes landed on Ginger's empty hands. "Give it to Ginger."

"Me?" Ginger asked with surprise. "What'd I do? I'm just here taking notes for Sam."

"Consider it your lucky day," Josh told her.

Margaret gave Ginger an 'I have no idea what he's doing' look as she handed over the folder.

"This is the one I want you to handle," Josh said, placing another folder in Margaret's hand.

She opened the file, perused the contents then looked back at Josh with questioning eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

CUT TO

INTERIOR LOU'S OFFICE

As Lou entered and headed towards her desk she took stock of the rotund man sitting ramrod straight in her visitor's chair. He had a full head of thick white hair and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache to match. The red tinge on the end of his nose led Lou to believe he was probably in heavy demand around Christmas to play Santa Claus for the neighborhood kids.

"Mr. Salinger?"

"Yes, ma'am. August Salinger. But Mr. Salinger is fine. Feel free to call me that." The man rose from the chair and extended his hand to Lou.

"O-ok." Lou shook his hand then continued to skim the file Margaret had prepared. "Please have a seat. I'm Lou Thornton. I'm the Communications Director for President Santos. And you are the representative of the General Henry Martyn Robert Society?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm proud to have served as President of the society for three years now. And I was just elected last month to another three year term."

"Congratulations. I had no idea there even was such a society."

"There is indeed. Aside from the national chapter there are subchapters in every single state. We're quite dedicated to our mission."

"Which is?" Lou met the man's eyes.

"We believe, Ms, Thornton, that American society is breaking down. In large part due to the fact that people no longer understand and respect the proper orderly way to get things done."

"Seriously?" Lou's voice rose a full octave.

"Today's average American is impatient. They want instant results and instant gratification even if it means taking shortcuts."

"And you think shortcuts are bad?"

"Very bad," August nodded resolutely. "We, the dues paying members of the General Henry Martyn Robert Society, believe that if everyone learned to follow the rules of procedure set forth by our founder many years ago society would run more smoothly."

"Your founder. That would be…?"

"General Henry Martyn Robert."

"A soldier I take it?"

"My, yes. A decorated soldier, a dedicated family man, and the original author of Robert's Rules of Order."

Lou looked dumbfounded. "The rules for parliamentary procedure?"

"That's a common misconception about the rules, Ms. Thornton, don't feel bad."

Lou's mind wandered back to something Margaret had said earlier. 'I spent a lot of time choosing just the right assignment for each of you….'

As her mind drifted Mr. Salinger continued on unabated.

"Of course the rules are the final word in Parliamentary procedure. They have been for nearly a century. But they're much more than that. They're a road map to the most effective method of operation within any group. No matter the mission. No matter the size."

"You don't say." Lou couldn't hide the sarcasm in her voice.

"You might not be so flip if you were more familiar with the rules," August chastised her gently. "Do you have a copy of the latest edition, Ms. Thornton?"

"Well…I don't…you know… personally," Lou stammered, "but I'd imagine there's one around here somewhere."

August Salinger produced a paperback copy from his jacket pocket with a flourish and presented it to a flabbergasted Lou. "You can keep this one."

"Gee, thanks."

"The rules, as you will see when you read the book, are easily modified to fit any size or type of organization."

"And what you're looking for from the White House is?" Lou interjected; hoping to cut him off before he launched into too detailed an explanation of the book's contents.

"We would like to have the rules, the newly revised edition of course, named the official operational structure of all government offices."

"You can't possibly be serious." Lou stared at him with disbelief.

"Quite serious. We believe that if the government takes the lead, corporate America will follow."

"Well that's unlikely on its face, but putting that aside for a minute, how would you propose we go about implementing this plan? Do you expect every government office to spend the day buried under movements, and seconds, and debate and ballots on even the smallest issue? Because I gotta tell ya, things move pretty slowly now. That would bring them to a grinding halt."

August Salinger huffed. "As I said, Ms. Thornton, the rules can be adapted to fit any organization's needs. Considering some of the problems you've had in your first few months; the leaks, the inability to focus the press on your agenda, the early missteps in the handling of Mt. St. Helens, and dare I say a general public perception of disorganization, are you denying you could use a little more structure?"

"I suppose not," Lou sighed as she settled in for a long morning.

CUT TO

INTERIOR OTTO'S OFFICE

Bram had rolled his chair from its regular place in the bullpen into the Deputy Communication Director's office and placed it behind the desk next to Otto's. The two young staffers sat side by side staring apprehensively at a pair of middle- aged, shaggy haired men sitting in Otto's visitor's chairs wearing faded Born to Rock t-shirts, ripped jeans, tennis shoes and black Timex LCD watches. They reminded Bram of the old SNL skit, Wayne's World.

"The Star Spangled Banner has had a good long run but its time for a change," one of the men (the one Bram had taken to calling Garth in his head) said enthusiastically. "We need a song that real people can relate to. Something that speaks to them."

"Is it even possible to change the national anthem?" Otto asked doubtfully.

"It totally is," the second man (who Bram thought of as Wayne) insisted. "All we need is someone to propose legislation."

"Well then--- shouldn't you be lobbying some junior congressman who wants national publicity?"

"Well sure. But no one will even consider it until they know they'll have support from the White House."

Otto took note of the excited looks on the men's faces and decided allowing them to get their hopes up would border on cruelty. "I'm not sure this is something President Santos would really want to get involved in."

"I think the President likes the Star Spangled Banner," Bram added helpfully.

"This is the best chance we've had in decades to get the anthem changed," Garth-lite said earnestly, "We've got a young president. He's vital. He's hip. He should want the nation's theme song to reflect that."

"President Santos is hip?" Otto asked skeptically.

"In comparison to every president of the last two decades."

"Well….yeah," Otto conceded.

Bram couldn't resist the elephant in the room any longer. "Exactly what do you want to change the anthem to?"

The two aging rock fans looked at each other and smiled, then began to sing.

'On the days we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream…'

FADE TO BLACK

ACT TWO

INTERIOR LESTER'S OFFICE

"So you're the chosen representatives of Citizens for Responsible Media?" Lester asked amiably as he entered his office.

"We are," the very proper looking woman sitting on his office couch replied. "I'm Karol Simms." She turned and smiled fondly at the man beside her. "This is my husband Frank."

"Nice to meet you both. My name is Lester Charles. I'm the White House Press Secretary."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Charles," the Simms' said in unison. 

"How are you enjoying the White House so far?" Lester moved behind his desk and sat down.

"It's very nice. Everyone has been very polite."

"That's good."

"We understand you're a busy man, Mr. Charles. We'd like to get right down to business if that's possible," Karol said. "We have several

things we'd like to discuss."

Lester was a bit taken aback. "By all means, go right ahead."

"We're here to discuss the fact that the media is destroying American political discourse," Karol began.

Lester looked up, startled. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Frank jumped in. "It's getting hard to tell the political reporters from the entertainment journalists."

"Some journalists seem more concerned with who's dating whom and what's going on behind closed doors than with education or poverty or the war in Kazakhstan." Karol jumped in as soon as her husband paused. 

"The actors and the athletes and the politicians are all starting to blend together into one big ball of celebriculture," Frank continued.

"They're all public figures…." Lester started before getting cut off.

"All due respect, Mr. Charles," Karol said, "that's a tired argument. There's a big difference between people who are in the public eye because they're serving our country and people who are in the public eye because they look good on a movie screen or can throw a football seventy-five yards."

"But…"

"If a politician's behavior impacts his or her ability to do their job, or in any way affects the public interest, then by all means it should be reported. But it's time to put an end to this ridiculous notion many reporters seem to have that every little detail of every person's life is fair game," Karol steamrolled on.

Lester's mind drifted slowly back to Margaret's words about each staffers' meeting being carefully assigned. He tried hard to focus on the words of the couple in front of him but it was becoming harder to concentrate over the sound of puzzle pieces falling into place.

"Its not only bad form," Frank scoffed, "it's lazy reporting."

"While I agree with you up to a point," Lester said calmly, "the White House certainly has no control over what the media does and doesn't print. They print what people want to read."

"Or what people are persuaded, by sheer volume, to read," Frank fired back. "If the latest lurid details of the love life of some politician or another are being splashed all over the covers of self described 'serious' magazines and the front page of every newspaper in town it's given a legitimacy it doesn't deserve. People start to mistake it for real news."

"All the time spent discussing salacious details is time not spent talking about real issues," Karol pointed out.

"Still," Lester argued, "there's nothing I, or the President, can do about what's written by the press."

"You could start by enforcing very strict boundaries in your own dealings with the press," Karol said.

Lester began rubbing his temples.

"The FCC fines television networks and their affiliates for broadcasting obscene content," Frank added. "They use the fines to make sure no one steps over the line. Why can't similar standards be applied to the print media?"

"It's an entirely different issue," Lester argued.

"Only because you choose to see it that way."

Lester sighed. "Exactly what is it you're looking for from the White House?"

"We'd like a law that would make discussing the details of any politician's private life in print, without their consent, a misdemeanor."

It took all the restraint Lester had not to bang his head on his desk.

CUT TO

INTERIOR EMPTY WEST WING OFFICE

Annabeth entered the mostly empty office that had been set aside for her Cheese Day meeting. Her nose was buried in the folder Margaret had prepared detailing her assignment so it wasn't until she was practically next to him that she noticed the man standing just inside the door; the man she had been assigned to meet with. He was tall, though in truth everyone seemed tall to Annabeth. She judged him to be around 6'2" and couldn't help but be struck by his very broad shoulders. He had sandy blonde hair with just a touch of wave to it and the brightest blue eyes Annabeth had ever seen. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but this man most definitely wasn't it. He stared back at her with a confused smile and she realized she had to say something fast.

"I think preserving Broadway theatres is a fabulous idea," she bubbled. "I'm all for it."

"That's great to hear. We have to move fast or we're going to lose some historic venues," the man fell immediately into the conversation.

"Then I guess we better get down to work." Annabeth smiled.

They took seats across from each other at a small table that had been moved into the office just for this occasion.

"My name is Annabeth Schott, by the way." She reached across the table and shook the man's hand. "I'm the First Lady's Press Secretary."

"Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Schott. My name is Craig Fielder. I'm the Regional Director for Preserve America's Cultural Heritage." 

"Lovely to meet you, Mr. Fielder. And it's Miss Schott."

Craig smiled. "My mistake."

"No problem." Annabeth was surprised to feel herself blushing. "What do you say you fill me in on some of the details."

"I'd love to. There are currently three Broadway theaters slated for demolition within the next five years."

"Really?" Annabeth was shocked. "I didn't realize that. That's terrible."

"There's still time to save at least two of them," Craig could barely contain the urgency in his voice, "but we have to act fast."

"What can we do?" Annabeth was sincerely interested.

"Mostly we need money. Which would come in faster if we could get some visibility. Like say a presidential appearance at one of our fundraisers?"

"It can't hurt to ask," Annabeth made a note.

"We could also use a little help with historic landmark designations."

"Sounds reasonable."

"And an increase in funding for groups trying to buy the buildings to preserve them would be good too."

Annabeth got a far away look on her face. "I went to New York to see my first Broadway show when I was six years old. I can remember every detail like it was yesterday. It was one of the best days of my life. I think I still have the program somewhere."

"I know exactly how you feel. I visited New York City on my 10th birthday. My parents took me to see 42nd St. I can still hear those shoes tapping on the stage."

"It's great, isn't it?"

"It is. We can't rob other children of the chance to feel that same sense of wonder."

"That would be a crime," Annabeth agreed. "Let's put our heads together and see what we can do."

CUT TO

INTERIOR MURAL ROOM

Donna looked with amused affection at the man sitting across the table from her. He was the personification of her childhood image of a nutty professor. His hair was disheveled; he had thick black-rimmed glasses, and a pencil behind each ear. Donna estimated that his suit was at least two sizes too big. She didn't want to make him self-conscious by staring, but she was fairly sure his shirt was buttoned wrong. At his feet was a cardboard storage box overflowing with files and papers.

She quickly read over the background folder Margaret had provided. Albert Titlebaum's educational credentials were impressive and his commitment to the American education system was beyond reproach. He had worked for many years as both a teacher and administrator. When he felt the system was starting to fail the students, he made the difficult decision to step away and try to work

from the outside to fix it. For the last five years he had been a sort of freelancer trying to affect positive change any way he could. In the absence of any serious fundraising or the backing of any big names, his efforts had, to this point, been mostly unsuccessful. He showed no signs, however, of giving in. He was a man on a mission.

"So, Mr. Titlebaum…"

"Call me Albert, please."

"Only if you'll call me Donna," she smiled genuinely at him.

Albert blushed. "OK."

"So, Albert," Donna began again, "I see that you've spent the last several years traveling the country doing….exactly what is it you've been doing?"

"I've been talking to people about the American education system. What's right with it, what's wrong with it, how to make it better, how to stay competitive."

"That must have been interesting."

"Very."

"Have you come up with any possible solutions?"

"Several," Albert took the lid off the cardboard box at his feet and began extracting folders. "I just need someone to help me get them implemented."

Donna watched as Albert began to spread papers all over the table.

"We fall farther behind every day. Forget comparing our test scores to those of other countries, try comparing our test scores to those of our own country just 10 short years ago. The American education system is broken and it needs to be fixed. Now."

"Where do you suggest we start?"

"The problem is too large and too complex to sum up in a sound bite Ms….Donna. We need higher teacher standards including teacher accountability, a curriculum that demands something from students as opposed to letting them do the bare minimum then passing them on. We need to give children a safe place to learn and grow. We need to prepare these young people for life after high school. Intellectually yes, but also emotionally and socially. As much as society may suffer the short-term ramifications of this slide, the real damage is going to be visited upon our children and grandchildren for generations to come. Do you have children, Donna?"

"Not yet." She smiled softly at the thought.

"Well, when you do, I'm sure you'll love them and guide them and give them the very best you have to give. Sadly not all children are that lucky. Children in poorer neighborhoods, who are already being left behind economically and often socially, rarely have the tools they need to even hope to catch up down the road. It took a ten-year fight to ensure these kids have enough textbooks. At this point, the chance of ever getting them computers and the other technology they need without serious intervention is remote."

"Actually, the First Lady just started working on a program to help put computers into inner city classrooms."

"That's a great start, Donna. Really. But it's just a start. We need a sustained program to not only get the computers into the schools but to keep them upgraded, keep them running, and train everyone how to use the latest software. Americans are very, very generous people. You tell them what you need and they answer the call. I have the names of scores of individuals and small businesses who are ready to help with a project like the one you're talking about. They WANT to help, but they can't do it themselves. It's too big. We need to create the machinery to bring them all together in a cohesive group. As big as the problem is, it is solve-able. We just need to work together."

"We've signed up several big name computer makers to help with the problem but you're absolutely right, Albert, we really do need all hands on deck. It's going to take everyone working together to make this happen. If you can pull together just the parts of your plan that deal with this specific issue, I'll get you a sit down with the First Lady."

"Thank you, Donna. Thank you very much. You won't be sorry. I promise."

"I'm sure I won't be," she smiled.

"If the First Lady likes what she hears, do you think there's any chance I might get to present a few of my other ideas to the president's staff for review?" he asked hopefully.

"Fixing what's wrong with the American education system is very important to President Santos. It's one of the main reasons he got into the race to begin with." Donna silently considered exactly how to handle Albert's request.

"I know. I was impressed with him very early on. I've been trying to get a meeting with either he or Mr. Lyman since the inception of the campaign."

"They're very busy men," Donna explained.

"I understand that. But the minute I heard Matt Santos' ideas about education reform I knew we were simpatico."

"Simpatico?"

"In tune. I've been advocating several ideas very similar to his education plan for years. I've dreamed of a candidate as committed to reform as he is. Of course, I've never managed to get enough of a platform to get anyone's attention. People find it easy to dismiss me as an eccentric crackpot. And in some ways I guess I am, but in this case I know I can be of help to the president."

"I'm sure President Santos will be glad to hear that you share his commitment. Perhaps I could pass along…."

"No, Ms. Moss, Donna, you don't understand. It's more than me agreeing with his agenda. I can actually help."

He fixed Donna with a pleading stare.

"I'm listening."

CUT TO

INTERIOR JOSH'S OFFICE

"Margaret isn't at her desk," Sam said as he stuck his head in Josh's door.

"She's taking care of her Cheese Day assignment." Josh barely looked up from his reading. "She'll be back late this afternoon."

"Who'd she end up with?"

Sam entered the office and stood in front of Josh's desk.

"She's over at the Piaf Salon getting the full spa day treatment."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. I'm making an effort to be nice to her so she doesn't regret her decision to come back," Josh said sincerely, finally looking up at Sam.

"So you made her an appointment for a spa day?"

"Women like things like that." Josh's tone was a bit defensive.

"I know they do. But you don't."

"Says who?"

"Says…everybody. It was Donna's idea, wasn't it?"

Josh tried to look insulted but couldn't pull it off. "Yes," he admitted. "But I agreed. And paid. So I gotta get some of the credit."

"True."

"Did you need something?" Josh asked.

"I spent some time answering questions for the Leg Affairs staff and getting them set for the rest of the week. Now I'm headed up to the Hill to knock a few heads together and get this education thing back on track."

"Knock a few heads together?" Josh couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's my new 'take no prisoners' attitude. What do you think?"

"I like it," Josh nodded. "Let me know how it goes."

"I'll call you when I'm done. Maybe we can meet for a beer after I get a better handle on where everyone stands."

"Sounds good."

Sam walked out of the office just as the phone on Josh's desk rang.

"Josh Lyman."

"Hey," Donna said.

"Hey yourself." Josh smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Why are you answering your own phone?"

"Margaret is at the salon getting girly things done that I don't even want to think about." He leaned back in his chair.

"You could get someone from the temp pool."

"I think I can handle it for a few hours. What's up?"

"I was wondering if I can get a few minutes." Donna glanced at Albert sitting across the room.

"Sure. When?"

"We can come right now."

"We?" Josh sat up straighter.

"Yes. I'm bringing Albert Titlebaum." Donna waited for the realization to dawn on Josh.

"Albert Titlebaum?"

"He was my Chee..er..morning meeting."

"Why does that name sound so familiar?" Josh searched the recesses of his memory.

"He's the head of Concerned Americans for Reforming Education," Donna said lightly.

"Doooona. No. Not that guy. He's been after us since the beginning of the campaign."

"So I've heard."

"And he's a nut."

"He's really not." Donna said quietly.

"I don't have time…"

"Josh. Stop. Listen to me."

"What?" He sighed, feeling his defenses slip away. Donna always had that effect on him.

"You want to talk to him," she said definitively.

"I don't."

"You really do," she insisted.

"I do?"

"You do."

"Ok," he sighed.

"Great," she smiled. "We'll be there in five minutes."

CUT TO

INTERIOR LOU'S OFFICE

"So, Ms. Thornton, to make a long story short…"

"Oh, it's waaay too late for that," Lou muttered under her breath as she absentmindedly fidgeted with the papers on the desk in front of her.

"Excuse me?" August raised one bushy white eyebrow.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. Please continue," Lou said contritely as she schooled her features into what she hoped was something resembling a look of interest.

"The truth is that while the rules themselves can be amended as necessary to fit any type of organization," August studied the woman in front of him intently as she tried to remain focused, "the one element that can never be interfered with….Do you think maybe you should be taking notes?"

"I have a very good memory," Lou assured him. "Plus, I have my own copy of the book now for easy reference." She waved the book he had given her earlier.

"Still, there's no substitute for effective note taking. An accurate record is your best friend."

"Is that covered in the book?" Lou smirked.

"Chapter three."

"Of course."

Lou pushed her glasses back into place.

"No worries. I can provide you with a written synopsis of the meeting. I always make a record immediately afterwards when I'm not taking contemporaneous notes."

"Of course you do," Lou sighed.

"As I was saying, the one element that can never be interfered with is the chain of command. It's the backbone of any successful organization." 

"You don't say."

"I'm very serious," August said solemnly. "It's what allows an organization to maintain order and operate at peak efficiency. Any attempt to circumvent the chain leads to uncertainty and chaos."

"Do you by any chance know Margaret Weaver?"

"Is that the nice woman who called me to do the pre-interview for this meeting?"

"That would be her." Lou smiled.

"I wouldn't say I know her exactly. We talked on the phone once or twice."

"And you explained your ideas to her exactly the way you're explaining them to me now?"

"I did. She seemed very interested. She has a very open mind AND she already has her own copy of the rules," August said pointedly. "She's a very nice woman. Very organized. I like that in a person."

"I would imagine you do."

"So….can I spell out the rest of my proposal for you now? We've barely scratched the surface of what the rules have to offer."

"Oh please, proceed." Lou began to doodle 'I will not go over Josh's head' on the pad in front of her. She wondered if doing that 500 times then giving it to Margaret might get her out of the redhead's doghouse, which was a place she had quickly discovered she did not like to be.

CUT TO

INTERIOR OTTO'S OFFICE.

"You want to change the national anthem to an 80's rock song?" Bram asked, interrupting the men before they could finish the first verse.

"Not AN 80s rock song. THE 80s rock song," the pair said reverently.

"That's debatable," Otto replied. "The 80s was a long decade and there were a lot of songs…"

"How old were you in the 80s?" faux Wayne asked.

"I was…that's not important," Otto said defensively.

"No other song in the 80s had the impact of The Boss's 'Born to Run'. It was a defining moment in both American music and culture and it deserves to be recognized as such."

"I really don't think I can get the President on board with changing the anthem to…"

"It's a new world," Wayne-lite interrupted. "We need a new anthem. Imagine the energy it would add to public events."

"Picture it," the men said in unison.

Otto and Bram glanced uneasily at each other then back at the men on the other side of the desk. There was no stopping them this time as they leapt to their feet and burst into a slightly off-key rendition of 'Born to Run' complete with air guitars and pretend microphones.

CUT TO

INTERIOR CONFERENCE ROOM

CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING

Sam sat alone on one side of highly polished table facing Congressmen Hamilton, Clark and Larimer on the other side.

"I don't think you understand what we're saying to you, Sam," Hamilton said smugly as he leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.. "We liked the deal Amy offered us."

"That deal's no longer on the table," Sam said coolly.

"You can't un-ring a bell," Larimer said with his faux down home folksiness. "It was offered. We want it. We can score some easy points with the voters back home by killing this welfare thing."

"We sure can," Clark nodded in agreement. "Wins don't come much easier."

Larimer laughed. "The folks back home don't have to know the bill was dead in the water from the start. They can just be happy we killed something they didn't like."

"I'm sure your constituents would be impressed that you're spending so much time worrying about a bill with no chance of passing just to run up your own scorecard," Sam said sarcastically.

"All they remember come election time are the ones in the win column," Hamilton bragged. "You know that as well as we do."

Sam took a deep breath. He wanted to tell the men that he had a lot more faith in the American electorate than they seemed to but that was a discussion for another day. "I don't know how much clearer I can make it for you gentlemen. The welfare bill is off the table. We're dealing with road repairs. I explained this all to Cal Richards last night."

"We heard. But we're thinking maybe we don't want to be part of Richards' group anymore," Hamilton was drunk on perceived power. "We like the deal we had and we're not willing to cave quite as fast as Cal."

"We're doing what we think our constituents would want," Larimer added. "Cal had no right to speak for us without talking to us first."

"So you're splitting into two groups now?" Sam couldn't believe his ears.

"On this matter, yes."

"You do understand that six people are a stronger group than three, right?"

"We're not idiots, Sam." The congressmen all sat up straight in their chairs.

"If you say so."

"What's that supposed to mean." Larimer's hackles were up.

"What do you call three junior congressmen willing to get on the wrong side of the popular new president over a bill that has zero chance of passing anyway?"

The three men exchanged glances, clearly recommitting to the course of action they had chosen before Sam arrived.

"You have our final word, Sam. We want the deal Amy offered us."

"Ok then," Sam began gathering up his briefcase. "I guess we're done here."

"So we have a deal?" Hamilton smirked.

Sam shook his head and laughed. "No. We don't. But I'll be sure to let the President know exactly how helpful you were on his first big initiative. It's been a pleasure, gentlemen."

"But..but.." Clark spluttered. "You need us. Richards said you guys are still five votes down. Cal brings you three. We can put you over the top."

"True. But then again so can Katz and the four votes he brings with him."

"Katz is a Republican!" Larimer squeaked.

"That he is. And according to what he told me last night very interested in forging a strong bipartisan relationship with the President."

The three junior congressmen stared in disbelief.

"Apparently his constituents want to see their guy actually get important things done," Sam smiled. "I'm meeting with him in the morning."

"Don't bluff us, Sam," Clark warned.

"I assure you I'm doing nothing of the kind."

Sam headed for the door.

"Can we talk about this some more," Hamilton asked, trying not to sound desperate and failing miserably.

"No, thanks," Sam said breezily. "I'd tell you gentlemen that I'm looking forward to working with you in the near future but I'm pretty sure the President won't be seeking your assistance anytime soon." He

turned and walked out of the room leaving the three men slack jawed and more than a little frightened.

CUT TO

INTERIOR LESTER'S OFFICE

"But as I'm sure you understand we don't control the media," Lester repeated for what seemed like the 20th time. "And that's a good thing. We don't want a government controlled media."

"Of course we don't," Frank agreed. "But that doesn't mean you can't set certain limits. Start by setting a good example in your own dealings with them."

"For instance?" Lester asked.

"Draw very distinct boundaries and stay within them," Karol began ticking items off on her fingers. "Refuse to answer intrusive questions about the people who work in this building. From time to time tell reporters what they're asking simply isn't any of their business."

"But it is their business," Lester argued.

"Only in so far as the actual workings of the government are concerned," Frank picked up where his wife left off. "Personal information is a whole other matter."

"Again, I have no say over what questions are and aren't asked in my press room."

"But you have full control over how you treat those questions. Let people know that they won't be acknowledged. Eventually they'll will stop wasting their valuable time asking questions that they know won't be answered."

"You don't know them as well as I do," Lester snickered.

"People are entitled to their privacy, Mr. Charles. Don't you agree?" Karol asked pointedly.

Lester's head was pounding but through the pain he remembered the gleam in Margaret's eyes during the morning meeting. He'd had a feeling for weeks that she was just waiting for the right time to punish him for his part in going to the President trying to force Josh and Donna to do an interview. Apparently the trap had sprung.

"If I say yes, can we wrap this up?" Lester asked feebly.

CUT TO

INTERIOR WEST WING OFFICE

"OOOOKlahoma where the wind comes whippin down the plains…" Annabeth and Craig sang in perfect harmony.

"They don't write 'em like that anymore," Annabeth said wistfully.

"They sure don't," Craig agreed.

"I played the lead in my high school production. We brought down the house."

"Me too!" Craig laughed. "You know, I feel like we're kindred spirits."

"A mutual love of the footlights and greasepaint," Annabeth agreed.

Craig glanced at his watch. "Oh my. I've taken up most of your morning. I'm so sorry. I'm sure you have other important things you could be doing."

"Not at all," Annabeth assured him. "This has been fun. I don't get to sing with other people as much as I'd like so this was a special treat."

"The pleasure was all mine," Craig bowed slightly.

"Why thank you kind sir." Annabeth curtsied in return. "Besides, there's no such thing in my book as being too busy for Rogers and Hammerstein."

"A girl after my own heart."

He spoke again, this time his voice quivered with nerves. "Some of my friends who are in town for the theater conservation symposium are heading out to sing a little karaoke tonight. I was thinking of joining them. Would you like to come along?"

Annabeth hesitated. She was tempted. It had been a fun meeting, and it felt good to enjoy a man's company again. Still, she hadn't been out much since Leo died.

"I…I…I'm not sure. I'd have to check my schedule." She fidgeted nervously with her watch.

"Of course," Craig stammered. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to be so forward. I just thought it might be something you'd enjoy."

"No, it's fine. I'm just not sure….it certainly does sound like fun. I need to check in with my office…."

"I understand completely. We're heading over to the K Club in Georgetown around seven. If you find yourself with some free time I'd love for you to join us."

"Maybe I'll see you there," Annabeth smiled a genuine smile.

"I hope so. And again, I thank you for your time and attention. I'd appreciate any help you can give us."

"I'll see what I can do."

"It's been a pleasure, Miss Schott."

"Likewise, Mr. Fielder."

END ACT TWO

 

ACT THREE

INTERIOR JOSH'S OFFICE.

Donna rapped softly on Josh's doorframe.

"Hey." He got up from his desk with a smile to greet her and the man carrying a tattered cardboard box that she was practically pulling into his office.

"Josh, this is Albert Titlebaum. Albert this is …"

"Josh Lyman. It's an honor, sir. I'm a big fan."

"Really?" Josh said as he shook Albert's hand. "Thanks."

Josh looked at Donna curiously while Albert stood motionless, staring across the room.

"Is that the door to the Oval Office?" he asked with awe, pointing to the other side of the room.

"Yes, it is." Josh smiled proudly.

"Is he in there?" Albert's tone was reverent.

"He is," Josh said, "but he's very busy this afternoon."

"Oh I'm sure...I didn't mean…of course he is." Albert turned to look at Josh. "I had no idea I might have a chance to meet you today, Mr. Lyman. Your strategy to get President Santos elected was…spectacular."

"Thank you, Albert." Josh's chest puffed out a little without his even realizing it. "Are you a student of political history?" 

"I am indeed. I taught Civics and Political Science in the Chicago public schools for many years. Politics is my second passion after education. I got both my Bachelor's degree and my Masters in Political Science from Stanford."

"Impressive. I'm a Harvard and Yale man myself."

"Those are good schools too," Albert said in an unintentionally patronizing tone.

Josh's jaw tightened and he tossed a mock glare Donna's way. "Why don't we all have a seat."

Josh sat at his desk; Donna and Albert took the visitors' chairs facing him.

"So, Albert and I have been talking about how he may be able to help the First Lady get computers into inner city classrooms," Donna said cheerily.

"That's great. It's an important project. Thanks for lending a hand, Albert." Josh still wasn't sure why Donna had insisted on this meeting. 

"My pleasure, Mr. Lyman."

"Please, call me Josh."

"Ok…Josh. I've put together an extensive database of individuals all over the country willing to help in the CiC effort."

"CiC?"

"Computers in Classrooms," Donna said helpfully.

"Ahhhh."

"It's important to pull people together and create a structure within which everyone can work to make the dream come true. I have a feeling everyone will be very excited to have the First Lady of the United States leading the charge. And of course her Chief of Staff as well." 

Albert looked at Donna with a gaze that stopped just short of adoring. A gaze which didn't go unnoticed by Josh. He had to smile at the effect Donna was having on Albert.

"It's heady stuff," Josh agreed.

Donna was trying to give Albert encouraging looks but he seemed too intimidated by both Josh and his proximity to the Oval Office to say what he had come to say.

"Soooooooo….." Josh said leadingly.

"Albert has been trying to get a meeting with you for a long time," Donna interjected. "Since the early days of the primaries."

"I apologize. We were so busy during the campaign, and now getting things off the ground here…."

"Oh, I understand. I'm sure you have a lot to do…." Albert said apologetically.

"If you write up a report and leave it with my assistant I'll make sure to take a look at it as soon as I can," Josh offered, trying to move things along.

"Oh ok," Albert started to collect his things and Josh rose to walk him out.

"Sit back down," Donna said kindly but firmly.

Both men did as instructed.

"Tell Josh about your collection, Albert."

"His collection?" Josh eyebrows rose.

"He doesn't have time…" Albert stammered.

"He has time." Donna smiled sweetly.

"But he said…"

"The collection, Albert. Tell him about the collection."

Albert glanced nervously at Josh then complied. "I was explaining to Donna earlier that I've traveled all around the country over the last several years--to town hall meetings, school board meetings, pretty much any gathering where I could find people talking about education. Everywhere I've gone I've taken my Pledge for a Better American Education System with me. After I talk to people, and listen to their ideas and concerns, I ask them to sign the pledge to work with us."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"I think so. But I'm always looking for ways to do more. So during the last election cycle I added congressmen, senators and prospective congressmen and senators to the list of people I asked to sign. I wanted to be able to use their pledge later to help get some reform bills to the floor."

Josh's ears perked up.

"Congressmen and senators?"

"Yes."

"And Albert's pledge just happens to talk generally about a lot of the same things that are spelled out in the Santos education plan," Donna pointed out.

"Did they sign?" Josh couldn't believe he would get that lucky.

"Many of them did. Yes." Albert nodded emphatically.

"How many?"

"295 current members of the HOR and 62 current senators."

"They actually committed their signatures to paper?" Josh asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"You have these signed pledges with you?"

Albert reached into the box at his feet and extracted two thick folders. "Right here."

Josh read over the pledge and smiled as he flipped through the signatures. "Chapman, Patterson. Jenkins. That old gasbag has been stalling on giving his support to the President's bill for weeks and trying to say it isn't a partisan thing. Ha."

"So I was right in thinking these can help you?" Albert asked.

"Help is an understatement, Albert."

"So is there a chance I can put together a report on some of my other ideas for you and the President to look over?"

"I can do better than that, Albert my man. How would you like to have breakfast with the President of the United States tomorrow?"

CUT TO

INTERIOR WHITE HOUSE MESS

Lou, Annabeth, Donna and Helen sat gathered tightly around a small table littered with half empty coffee cups and partially eaten muffins. The First Lady was reading over some of the materials on the Computers in the Classroom initiative that Albert Titlebaum had provided while also keeping one ear on the conversation going on around her. Annabeth stared distractedly off into space while Lou and Donna compared notes and consulted calendars in an attempt to synch up the schedules of the East and West Wings.

"The education vote is next Monday so if you guys announce sometime late in the week it'd really give the story a nice second life," Lou said tiredly. "If we play this right we can control the news cycle all week."

"We can hold off till then, right?" Helen asked Donna as her Chief of Staff flipped through the First Lady's official schedule.

"That shouldn't be a problem. We'll coordinate with Congresswoman Payne. Maybe set something up at one of the schools downtown."

"We'd like you to make a number of appearances next week, both by yourself and with the President, if that's at all possible, ma'am," Lou requested. "We not only need a big win on this bill but we need to win the PR battle as well."

"I'd love to help," Helen said. "Just coordinate with Donna and let me know where you need me."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Helen smiled. "My pleasure."

"Does Thursday work for you, Annabeth? Or maybe Friday morning?" Donna asked without looking up.

When her question was met with silence she lifted her eyes from the schedule she'd been studying and looked across the table.

"Yoo-hoo. Annabeth?"

"Hmmm?" Annabeth turned her attention back to the table.

"Next week. Thursday or Friday? Does that work for you?" Donna asked with a bemused smile.

"Oh yeah, sure. That would be great."

"Which one?" Donna smiled.

"What were we talking about again?" Annabeth's brows were knit in confusion.

Helen chuckled and Lou rolled her eyes.

"The Computers in Classrooms announcement," Donna smirked.

"Oh. Sure. If we hold off till later in the week it'll help keep things rolling public relations-wise."

Lou rubbed her temples roughly with one hand and scribbled something on her calendar with the other. "Why didn't I think of that."

"You weren't listening to a word we were saying. Where were you?" Donna asked curiously.

"Probably still recovering from the nightmare that was Big Block of Cheese Day," Lou ground out. "If Josh ever plans on doing that again I'm gonna make it a point to be as far away from the White House as possible. Out of the country even."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Helen asked sympathetically.

"Worse," Lou growled as Donna tried to hide a smile. "It was pure torture. Though not a total waste of time. I did learn a very important lesson about whose good side to stay on in this White House."

"My husband?" Helen teased.

"No," Lou shook her head vigorously. "Margaret. She's much more dangerous than the President."

"You mean Margaret, the redhead? Josh's assistant? The woman currently blowing raspberries into her baby's tummy? That Margaret?" Helen laughed as everyone at the table turned and glanced at Margaret and Jack enjoying a mother/son moment across the room.

"Don't let her doting mother act fool you," Lou scoffed.

"She does have a certain way of getting her point across," Donna agreed.

"That's an understatement," Lou huffed. Even through the irritation in her voice it was clear she had developed a new level of respect and admiration for Margaret.

"I really enjoyed my first Cheese Day experience," Annabeth said happily. "It was fun."

"What was your assignment?" Lou asked suspiciously.

"Preservation of Broadway theaters."

"It figures," Lou grumbled.

"Did you know there are three historic theaters scheduled for demolition within the next five years?"

"I had no idea," Helen answered.

"Anything here the First Lady might want to get involved with?" Donna asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I think there might very well be. I'd love to set up a meeting between you and Craig. He has some great ideas."

"Craig," Donna raised an eyebrow, and Helen grinned.

"He was really sweet and…well…quite handsome if you like the tall, blond, broad shouldered type," Annabeth smiled.

"Do you baby-sit for Margaret on weekends or something?" Lou asked incredulously.

"No." Annabeth looked confused.

"That might be an idea for you though," Donna smiled at Lou who glared back at her. "Might get you off her list more quickly."

Annabeth, somewhat oblivious to what was going on around her, went on with her story. "Craig asked me to go to the K Club with him and some friends tonight for karaoke night."

"Karaoke?" Helen put down the papers she was reading and started paying closer attention.

"He's a fellow musical theater lover. And he has a great voice."

"Realllly?" Helen and Donna asked in unison.

"How come she gets Broadway theaters and I get the rules police?" Lou muttered glaring across the room at Margaret.

"Miranda desperately wants a karaoke machine for her birthday," Helen said.

"I could never get Josh to go to karaoke night," Donna said enviously.

"Matt would rather have a root canal without Novocain," Helen concurred. "You need to go so the rest of us can live vicariously through you."

"Definitely," Donna agreed as she popped the last bite of her muffin into her mouth.

"I have no desire to ever go to a karaoke bar, vicariously or otherwise," Lou huffed. "So can we please just finalize this announcement schedule so I can put this whole ugly day behind me."

"I don't know," Annabeth continued undaunted. "I haven't been out much since…."

The table fell silent.

"Leo died?" Donna asked softly.

"Yeah," Annabeth sighed. "I mean it's not like we were…and I don't even know why…it's just….." She had trouble getting a full thought out. 

"Totally understandable," Helen helped her along. "It was a hard time for all of us. And you worked so closely with him. But you need some fun in your life again. It's time. Leo would want you to get out there."

"You might be right," Annabeth agreed. "He did love the sound of people laughing."

"That he did," Donna smiled in agreement. "I'll bet he whispered in Margaret's ear about what meeting to assign you."

"Do you really think it'd be ok? I'm afraid it might seem….inappropriate…you know. We had a business meeting. He's lobbying the administration. How will it look?" Annabeth worried.

"No one will think a thing of it." Donna assured her. "There's nothing improper about you having a drink with a nice man you just happened to meet at the White House."

Helen nodded in agreement. "I say you should go. Don't you, Donna?"

"Absolutely. Don't you, Lou?"

"Huh?" Lou grunted as she scrolled through messages on her Blackberry.

"Don't you think Annabeth should meet Craig tonight for karaoke?" Donna repeated.

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Donna kicked her under the table.

"Oh sure. Go. Have a great time." Lou rolled her eyes.

"It's not like you're committing to anything serious," Helen added helpfully. "It's just drinks and a little karaoke."

"I'd have to go home and change…" Annabeth protested. "And I really should finish working on a press plan for the announcement."

"What you have on is fine," Helen assured her. "And the press for the announcement is under control. We can finalize everything tomorrow."

"Well…" Annabeth was clearly being swayed. "Are you sure I look ok."

"Maybe let your hair down." Donna said as she studied Annabeth carefully.

"That would look good," Helen agreed. "Much more casual. Don't you think Lou?"

"Look," Lou said desperately trying to control her temper. "I just want a firm commitment on this Thursday/Friday thing so I can get out of here before you all start giving each other facials."

"Don't listen to her, Annabeth," Donna tsked then turned to Lou. "I'll get back to you after I check with Congresswoman Payne."

"I don't know…"

"Josh is meeting with Sam over at the Hawk and Dove. I don't know how much he has to do when he gets back, but I'm ready to go now so I'll walk with you. He can meet me at home later."

"You wouldn't mind?" Annabeth asked.

"Not at all. The K club is only a few blocks past our apartment."

"I've never been there," Annabeth said a bit apprehensively.

"We used to go there once in a while for assistants' night out. It's a great place," Donna reassured her.

"It does sound like fun….." Annabeth finally acquiesced. "I'll do it."

"Excellent. Do you need me for anything else tonight, ma'am?" Donna asked the First Lady.

"Nope, I'm headed up to the Residence to have dinner with my kids."

"And I'm heading somewhere to have a very tall scotch," Lou said.

CUT TO

INTERIOR HAWK AND DOVE

Josh slid into a booth across from Sam who was already most of the way through his first beer.

"How'd it go?"

"Good. They thought they could strong arm me but I think I made it pretty clear that isn't gonna happen." Sam took a long draw off his beer and signaled the waitress for two more. "Hamilton, Clark and Larimer tried a little power play. Putzes. I'm gonna let them stew in their own fear for a day or two then offer them a chance to make it up to us."

Josh smiled at the changes in Sam. He was definitely growing into the position just as Josh had known he would. The trick was going to be keeping that innate core of sweetness that made him Sam Seaborn. "Great. I think I have something that might help you sway a few votes."

The waitress sat a beer in front of each of them and took Sam's empty. Sam watched her walk away then turned back to Josh.

"What do you mean?"

"Donna's Cheese Day assignment was Albert Titlebaum."

"The name doesn't ring a bell."

"He's an eccentric old professor. Totally out there. He travels the country trying to reform the American education system single-handedly."

"That sounds a little….odd."

"To put it mildly. But somewhere along the way he started asking all sorts of senators and congressmen to sign a pledge saying they supported his reform plans. Which just happen to dovetail very nicely in a lot of ways with what we're trying to get passed."

"And…" Sam asked leadingly.

"They signed." Josh's grin was infectious.

"They didn't." Sam was stunned. "How many of them?"

"More than enough. Forget about this being a squeaker, buddy, we may be able to turn this into a big win and a real mandate."

"You've seen these signed pledges?"

"They're in my office."

"Anyone we can use?"

Josh grinned. "Oh yeah."

Sam smiled. "I can't wait to see their faces when I wave the pledge in front of them with their signatures on it."

"It's gonna be fun. I almost wish I was gonna be there to see it."

Sam cleared his throat and wiped the table with his napkin, suddenly nervous. "I know I've been a little wishy-washy in this job till now."

"Sam…" Josh tried to interrupt.

"No, let me finish. Today, this whole thing with Amy, I think I finally realized exactly what this job requires."

"That's good." Josh looked confident.

"I can do the job, Josh."

"I know you can. That's why I hired you."

"I just want you to know that what happened with Amy…"

"Forget it." Josh waved him off. "I know better than anyone what a loose cannon Amy can be. And hey, if the new you likes to take meetings at the Hawk and Dove, I'm all for it."

Sam smiled. "Hey, look who's here." He waved at Lou and Lester as they made their way across the bar.

"Hey," Josh said as they approached the table.

"Hey," they replied with exhaustion in their voices.

"You guys look….beat," Sam said, scooting over to make room.

"Cheese Day sucks," Lou spat out as she slid into the spot Sam had vacated. Lester nodded silently in agreement as he remained standing.

"I had a great Cheese Day," Josh said.

"Me too," Sam agreed.

"I hate you both," Lou growled, then turned to the approaching waitress. "Scotch. Neat. Bring the bottle."

Josh chuckled as he got up and threw a few bills on the table. "I need to get back."

"Josh," Lou asked, "did you have anything to do with today's assignments or was it all Margaret?"

"It was all Margaret. Why?"

Lou laughed. "Tell her---message received."

"Ditto," Lester sighed as he dropped into the spot Josh had been sitting in.

"What are you two talking about?" Josh looked at his staffers with equal parts amusement and confusion.

"You have a very loyal assistant, Josh."

Josh smiled. "I've been very lucky in the assistant department."

"The details aren't important," Lester said. "Just tell her I'll be bringing her her favorite muffins every morning from now on."

Josh laughed, "I'll tell her. You guys have fun tonight. I'll push staff back to 8am tomorrow."

"You're all heart," Lou said sarcastically.

"I try," Josh called over his shoulder as he headed for the door.

CUT TO

INTERIOR JOSH'S OUTER OFFICE

"What is that?" Josh asked with a frightened look on his face as he stood across the office from Margaret.

"What?" Margaret asked.

"That…thing…on your desk," Josh said as he held his ground as far from the object as the room would allow.

"I'm not sure. It was just delivered by a man in foul weather gear."

"You're kidding." Josh frowned.

"I wouldn't kid about something like that."

"It's a clam."

"It looks like it, yes."

"A big clam."

"It's quite impressive."

"Is it ticking?"

"Not that I can hear."

"Should we…I don't know…open it?"

"I would think so. Otherwise it may start to get game-y and if that happens the cleaning crew will be all over me."

"Go ahead then."

Margaret rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She picked up the clam and gently opened it. She smiled as she lifted out a bleached white paper scroll. She unrolled it gently and began to read. "Edward and Sassy McBain cordially invite you to attend their clambake..."

Josh laughed out loud. "They really go all out don't they?"

"That they do," Margaret agreed.

"I'll RSVP this one myself," Josh said as he headed into his office. When he was almost to the door he turned back. "Lou and Lester wanted me to tell you 'message received', whatever that means."

Margaret nodded.

"I'm not exactly sure what they're talking about but…I just wanted you to know…I'm glad you came back, Margaret."

"Me too," she smiled fondly. "Is it ok if I take off? My mom came and got Jack so they can spend some time together and Ronna invited me to the Hawk and Dove."

"Sure. Go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Try not to mess up your desk while I'm gone," she called as he headed into his office.

"I'll do my best. I'm leaving in a few minutes myself so how much damage could I do?"

"You're kidding, right?" Margaret rolled her eyes as she grabbed her purse.

CUT TO

INTERIOR JOSH AND DONNA'S APARTMENT

ONE HOUR LATER

"So how was your first Cheese Day?" Donna asked as she flopped down on the couch beside Josh. She had changed from her work clothes into a comfortable pair of jeans and one of Josh's t-shirts.

"All in all I think it was a success." Josh had removed his jacket and tie, and unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, but was still wearing the rest of his suit.

"Any day that starts off with the firing of Amy Gardner can't help but end up as a win," Donna smirked.

"I feel 10 pounds lighter," Josh teased back.

"Me too. There's a possibility I may have actually done a dance around my office."

"I wish I had seen that." Josh waggled his eyebrows.

"I'll reenact it for you later if you're good."

Josh smiled. "Seriously, she doesn't still bother you does she?"

"Not so much bother. Annoy. Irritate. Frustrate."

"Amy has that effect on people," Josh put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "But we don't have to worry about her anymore."

"So let's stop talking about her then," Donna purred as she ran her hand across his chest.

"I'm sure we can find something better to talk about." Josh's voice went an octave lower as he pulled Donna into his lap.

"Or not talk about as the case may be." Donna leaned in and kissed him.

They were well on their way to a serious make out session when the phone rang. Josh reached for it trying not to dislodge Donna.

"Josh Lyman. What?? Yes. Are you ok? Alright. Alright. We're on our way. We'll be there in 10 minutes."

Josh hung up the phone, scooted Donna off his lap and jumped to his feet.

"What happened???" Donna asked, trying to push down the panic.

"That was Annabeth," Josh swallowed hard and looked at Donna. "She was

mugged."

END ACT THREE

ACT FOUR

INTERIOR GEORGETOWN POLICE STATION

"Are you ok??" Donna asked breathlessly as she rushed across the cluttered squad room, dodging desks and officers, and pulled Annabeth into a tight hug. They clung to each other for a full minute. When they finally separated Donna noticed that the petite blonde's hands were shaking slightly and there were dried tear tracks on her face. The female officer Annabeth had been giving her statement to excused herself to allow the two women some privacy.

"I think so," Annabeth said with a quivering voice. "No, I know so. I'm just…he grabbed my purse…and he pushed me…but I'm fine. And Craig is fine. I just…" Tears threatened again. "I want to go home. But he took my keys…."

"Everything's gonna be ok," Donna said soothingly as she kept one arm draped around Annabeth's shoulders. She scanned the room till she spotted Josh on the other side engaged in an animated conversation with several men in uniform. "Just let Josh talk to the officers for a minute and then we'll get out of here and get you home."

"Thanks," Annabeth sighed, weariness and relief evident in her voice.

"You can stay with us tonight if you'd feel safer," Donna offered.

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Annabeth's damp eyes shone with sincerity. "I really want to sleep in my own bed tonight. Ya know?"

"I understand completely. Just remember the offer stands," Donna said worriedly.

"My wallet was in my pocket so the guy doesn't have my address," Annabeth explained as she produced the wallet and showed it to Donna. "But my White House ID and my keys were in the purse. I need to go to the office to get my spare set of keys and see about getting a new ID and reporting the old one stolen. I know we're supposed to guard our badges, but I just…." Tears began to flow again.

"Shhhhh. It's fine," Donna cooed hugging Annabeth tighter. "Josh and I can take you wherever you want to go. And I'll help you take care of getting a new badge first thing tomorrow."

"Thanks, Donna. For everything." Annabeth swiped at her tears and managed a small smile.

"That's what friends are for," Donna smiled back.

"This has been quite an eventful day. My first Cheese Day assignment…" Suddenly Annabeth gasped. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Donna fought her own panic once again. 

"My key ring! The one in my purse."

"What about it?"

"Leo gave it to me." Tears rolled down Annabeth's cheeks. "It was my Election Day present."

Donna choked back her own emotion. "Oh sweetie." She pulled Annabeth into another tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

"I can't believe this," Annabeth sobbed.

"Maybe the guy will throw the purse down when he realizes there's no money in it. Then someone may find it, see your ID, and call the White House." Donna was grasping at straws.

"Do you really think so?" Annabeth pulled back and wiped her eyes with her hand.

"We have to hope," Donna squeezed her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah. We have to hope," Annabeth repeated then sighed deeply. "I think I've given them all the information they need for tonight." She tried to pull herself together.

Donna rubbed small circles on her friend's back. "Anything else they need can keep till tomorrow."

Josh finished talking to the officers in charge and crossed to Donna and Annabeth. "They said you can go," he said softly. Donna noticed that the gentle tone of his voice couldn't quite hide the tightness of his jaw and the building frustration written all over his face.

"Great. Thanks."

Donna kept one arm around Annabeth and slipped her free hand into Josh's as the trio headed toward the exit.

"Oh wait," Annabeth suddenly changed course and steered them towards where Craig was finishing up giving his statement to one of the officers. "I have to say goodbye."

Donna and Josh stepped off to the side to give Annabeth a chance to say goodbye to her new friend. Donna could feel the tension radiating off Josh as they waited. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on but knew this wasn't the place to discuss it.

"Goodnight, Craig," Annabeth said sincerely as she placed her hand on his arm. "I had a really good time today."

"Really?" Craig asked skeptically.

"Well, except for the ending." Annabeth attempted a smile but failed.

"I'm so sorry," Craig apologized.

"Don't be silly," Annabeth insisted. "It certainly wasn't your fault."

"Thanks for saying that. I just keep thinking I could have done something more. Reacted faster. Something."

"Nonsense. There's nothing you could have done. Neither of us got hurt and that's all that matters."

"I guess you're right." Craig looked over her shoulder to where Josh and Donna were waiting. "You'll be ok getting home?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "My friends are going to take me to the office to get my keys then they'll see I get home safely." 

"Ok then. I'll call you tomorrow and check on you?"

"Thanks. That'd be very nice."

Annabeth smiled then turned and walked back to Josh and Donna and the three of them headed out.

CUT TO INTERIOR

JOSH'S TOWN CAR

Donna sat in the middle of the car's spacious back seat with Josh and Annabeth on either side. She was turned slightly to her left toward Annabeth, still concerned about her friend's condition.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Donna fussed as the car approached the White House. "We can take you to the hospital and have a doctor check you out if you want."

"I'm fine. Really," Annabeth assured her. "I just want to get my keys, go home, crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head."

"The police said they'll call you if they get any leads but this kind of thing generally goes unsolved," Josh said agitatedly. He glanced at Annabeth as he spoke then turned his head and stared out the rear passenger's side window.

Donna reached over and squeezed his knee but he barely seemed to notice.

"Do you want me to run in with you to get your keys?" Donna asked, turning back to Annabeth.

"No. Thanks. I know exactly where they are. I'll just be a second."

The car pulled up in front of the East Lobby. Annabeth exited the car as Josh motioned out the window to the guard to let her in even though she didn't have her ID.

"I can't believe this happened," Donna sighed. "Annabeth was really looking forward to this. She was so upbeat on her way to the bar. She was practically skipping."

"How do you know?" Josh turned to look at her.

"I walked with her part of the way."

"YOU WHAT?" Josh's voice echoed through the enclosed confines of the car.

"I walked as far as the apartment with her."

"According to the police report, she was mugged less than three blocks from our apartment," Josh growled.

"Wow." Donna seemed surprised.

"This is nuts." Josh's temper flared. "Georgetown is supposed to be a safe neighborhood. I think maybe we should consider moving."

"This was an aberration, Josh." Donna tried to calm him. "There's no reason to move."

"I don't care if it was an aberration. I'm not taking any chances. I don't want you walking home from work anymore. Or walking anywhere for that matter."

"I'm careful." Donna said, trying to keep her own emotions from escalating.

"Careful isn't enough. That could have easily been you with Annabeth when she was attacked."

"I think attacked might be too strong a word," Donna said defensively.

"She called from the police station, Donna."

"Yes but no one was hurt."

"This time. But what about next time."

"Josh…"

"No, don't 'Josh' me. I'm serious." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"We live in a safe neighborhood." Donna placed her hand on his arm reassuringly.

"Apparently not as safe as it used to be. I don't want you out walking alone," Josh stated as though he was giving an order to one of the staff.

"I don't recall asking your permission." Donna's face turned red and she could feel her neck heating up.

Josh looked to Rodney who was sitting in the front seat. "Help me out here, Rodney. Tell her it's not safe. That she can't be out walking around town all by herself."

"I'd rather not get involved in this, sir." Rodney begged off.

"You're no help," Josh shot back. "I thought you were supposed to be on my side. Can't you back me up here? How come I need a guard but she doesn't?"

"Josh, just drop it. Leave Rodney alone. You're tired. It's been a long day. Let's just get home and we'll talk about this in the morning."

"This isn't about me being tired, Donna. This is about me not wanting anything to happen to you."

"I refuse to live in a prison of my own making. Or yours," Donna snapped.

"Look I refuse to allow…."

"Allow???"

"If it would make you feel better," Rodney interrupted, not wanting things to escalate any further, "Ron Butterfield teaches a self defense class for women who work in the White House."

"He does?" Josh looked to Rodney. "How come I never knew about that?"

"He just started it about a year ago."

"You should take that." Josh said emphatically turning to Donna. "Let's call Ron now."

"I'll think about it. And we're not calling Ron now. I don't think he'd be very happy if you woke him up."

"Donna…."

"I said I'll think about it," Donna cut him off. "Now please drop it."

Josh was about to argue further when Annabeth re-entered the car. The driver started the engine and they headed across town in silence.

CUT TO

INTERIOR HAWK AND DOVE

Ronna, Margaret, Otto and Bram now sat with Lou, Sam and Lester in a large booth. They all looked exhausted but relaxed, trying to shake off the strains of the day. Sam, Lou and Ronna were on one side of the booth. Lester, Otto and Margaret were on the other. Bram had a chair pulled up to the end of the table

"You guys don't know how good you have it," Sam scoffed at the new staffers. "This is a piece of cake compared to the Bartlet years."

"It couldn't have been worse than this," Lou insisted. "These hours are insane."

Sam and Margaret glanced at each other and actually laughed out loud.

"What?" the others asked in unison.

"Listen, I loved Leo McGarry as much as anyone on this planet. Lord knows I did," Margaret said sincerely. "But he had no grasp of the concept of balance. He worked day and night and expected everyone else to do the same."

"That's for sure," Sam smiled fondly. "I remember one night during our first week in office. I was ready to drop. We'd been working practically around the clock for months to get ready to begin governing. I figured now that we were finally in office I could take some time to breathe."

"Boy were you wrong," Margaret snorted.

Sam smiled and continued. "It was around 10:00pm and I was getting ready to head out. Go home, put my feet up and revel in how far we'd come."

"Sounds reasonable," Otto said.

"You'd think," Sam replied. "I was gathering my things and Leo came into my office. He told me we were adding an event to President Bartlet's schedule two weeks down the road and asked me to work up some ideas for the speech. He wanted me to get back to him as soon as possible. I said I'd be happy to and kept getting things ready to leave. Leo just stood there staring at me with this look he had. I realized pretty quickly that even though the speech was still two weeks away, he wanted to see some ideas that night."

"I know the look well." Margaret nodded.

"Finally I offered to throw some things together right away, hoping of course that he'd tell me to go home and do it in the morning." Sam couldn't help but laugh as he remembered that night.

"But he didn't," Margaret said knowingly.

"Nope. He said 'That'll be great, Sam' and told me he'd be in his office when I was ready."

"That was Leo," Margaret smiled.

"And President Bartlet, for all his greatness, was no better," Sam added. "His kids were grown, his wife had her own life. He had no problem at all with working till all hours."

"So you're saying the hours aren't gonna get shorter as we get settled in?" Bram asked with some trepidation.

"You usually get out when the sun's still up. You should consider yourself lucky," Margaret said. "Leo would have called this schedule 'banker's hours'."

"I barely have time to maintain a relationship with this schedule and still do things like laundry and grocery shopping. I'm lucky if I get five hours sleep a night. I can't imagine putting in many more hours." Ronna shook her head. 

"Speaking of relationships, how are things going with Claire," Bram leaned in and asked softly.

"Good thanks," Ronna smiled back at him.

"Plus," Sam interjected, "you're working for a much mellower version of Josh Lyman than the one we came to know and love during the Bartlet years."

"This is mellow Josh?" Otto snorted.

"Very mellow," Sam nodded. "He has Donna to go home to now so all-nighters are a rarity. I think we all owe Donna a real debt of gratitude."

"To Donna!" They all toasted laughingly.

"I remember what Josh was like in the early days of the campaign. When Donna was working for Russell." Ronna shook her head. "Those were dark days. We never failed to run into the Russell people on the trail, and every time he saw Donna he got more morose."

"Well then I take credit for part of his mellowness too," Lou said triumphantly. "I was the one who hired her after he refused to. I was also the one who brought her on board as spokesperson and told him to get the Hell over it and learn to work with her."

"That was a very smart move," Ronna said supportively.

"Here's to you," Otto raised his glass.

"Salud!" Sam chimed in. "It was about damn time."

"Does that win me back anything?" Lou looked beseechingly at Margaret who smiled a small smile.

"Maybe a little."

"I'll take it." Lou said gratefully.

"I'm sticking with a daily muffin delivery," Lester muttered.

"That's good too," Margaret said as she took another sip of her drink.

CUT TO

EXTERIOR ANNABETH'S APARTMENT

"You guys really don't have to walk me in. I'll be fine," Annabeth said as Josh's car pulled to a stop in front of her building.

"We'll feel better if we see you in safely," Josh insisted.

He got out of the car first and reached back to help first Donna then Annabeth out. They made their way almost silently to Annabeth's front door. Her hand shook slightly as she tried to put her key in the lock. On the third try she finally connected and turned the knob opening the door to her apartment.

"You know…now that I think about it, it might be nice to have someone to talk to for a few minutes. Would you guys like to come in for a drink?"

CUT TO

INTERIOR WHITE HOUSE RESIDENCE BEDROOM

"I mean…I couldn't believe she would do that to me. I went out on a limb to hire her. I knew Josh didn't want her. But I thought I could get her to tow the company line." Matt complained as he shed his suit and changed into his pajamas.

"Yeah, I could have told you that was never gonna happen," Helen snorted from her position on the bed. She had changed earlier and was reclining comfortably awaiting her husband.

Matt glared at her. "At least Josh had the decency not to say 'I told you so'."

"Josh has to be nicer to you than I do."

"You're saying you knew Amy would do this?" Matt asked disbelievingly.

"Not this specifically. But I knew she'd screw up in some monumental way."

"And you knew this how?"

"Women know other women."

"Ahhhhh. Women's intuition."

"Don't mock, Matt. I'm serious. I haven't had many dealings with her but I've seen enough to know everything I need to know."

"For example?" Matt challenged.

"Well first there was her pulling you out of the meeting when the kids were being introduced to their agents. Nothing could have been more important than that meeting. It shows exactly what she thinks of family."

"Ok. That was bad," Matt agreed grudgingly.

"Yeah well then there was the day the pictures of Josh and Donna hit the press."

"What did that have to do with Amy?" Matt asked as he lay down beside his wife.

"She came up to see Donna that day. The door between our offices was open a crack and I could hear everything that was said."

"And what was said?" Matt asked as he began to stroke his wife's arm.

"Amy was ever so subtly trying to undermine Donna's confidence, both in her ability to be my Chief of Staff and in her relationship with Josh."

"How so?" Matt pulled back, a little surprised.

"'Gee Donna, I really hope your new position doesn't interfere with your relationship. You know Josh always liked you immediately available to him' and 'I don't envy you, Donna. This job was hard enough for me to do. I can't imagine how it'll be for someone with no experience on this level'."

"It didn't work, did it?" Matt asked.

"No, but it was a damn good try."

"Well there's history there with Amy and Josh. I guess it's understandable."

"Don't reduce it to two women fighting over a man, Matt. I know a woman who hates other women when I see one. And Amy Gardner is that kind of woman."

"Well she's gone now," Matt sighed.

"Thankfully." Helen smiled as her husband grabbed her and pulled her on top of him.

"And you and I have better things to do with a rare quiet moment than talk about Amy Gardner."

"On that we definitely agree," Helen purred as she captured Matt's mouth with her own.

CUT TO

INTERIOR ANNABETH'S APARTMENT

"He was a great big softie at heart," Donna said affectionately.

She and Josh were sitting side by side on the loveseat in Annabeth's living room. Donna couldn't help but think that the apartment looked exactly like what anyone who had ever spent more than five minutes with Annabeth would expect it to look like. A Laura Ashley explosion. But somehow she managed to pull it all together with an air of sophistication.

Annabeth was sitting on the couch facing them. Her feet were propped up on the coffee table that was strewn with newspapers and mail. In the middle sat a half empty bottle of wine.

"Bet you never said that to his face," Josh smiled.

"He always acted like he had no interest in anyone's personal life," Annabeth said. "But there he was in the background always pulling strings to get people where he thought they needed to be."

"He got me to leave the White House and find my own 'real thing'," Josh said, shaking his head at the memory. "It was painful, but it was effective."

"And the right thing to do," Donna nodded.

"And look at you now," Annabeth said triumphantly. "In the office that connects to the Oval. Right where Leo always said you belonged."

"He had more confidence than I did sometimes." Josh drained his wine glass.

"He never had a doubt," Annabeth affirmed.

"It's a pretty nice office I guess," Donna teased. "Kinda small, but a decent location."

"Says the woman with the office big enough to host a State Dinner," Josh snorted.

"Thanks at least in part to Leo," Annabeth said.

"How do you figure?" Donna asked.

Josh leaned forward and picked up the wine bottle. He refilled the women's glasses first, then his own.

"He recommended you for the job," Annabeth replied matter-of-factly.

"When?" This was the first Donna had heard of such a thing.

"It was one night about a month after you joined the Santos campaign. We were hitting some of the markets that needed shoring up and we crossed paths with Mrs. Santos in…I think it was St Louis. Leo and I were scheduled to head out to Tulsa but it was raining cats and dogs and no planes were taking off. Somehow we all ended up in the hotel lounge with Leo telling war stories about the White House. He had us all in stitches."

"That sounds like him," Donna said with a smile.

"Mrs. Santos asked him about 'the new girl'. She said how impressed both she and the President…well the Congressman then….were with you."

Donna blushed.

"Leo told her the story of how you left Wisconsin on the heels of a bad relationship, drove across country on your own and hired yourself as Josh's assistant."

"I didn't even know he knew that story," Donna said quietly. She looked at Josh and they both began to smirk. "Margaret," they said in unison.

Annabeth smiled and continued. "She remembered you from the whole chicken fighting incident when you worked for Russell."

"I'm never gonna live that down," Donna moaned.

"Probably not," Annabeth agreed. "Because come on….that's a good story."

"It really is," Josh snickered.

"Anyway, Leo told Mrs. Santos how you'd outgrown your assistant position and how, as painful as it had been for everyone involved, it had definitely been time for you leave the White House and strike out on your own. Build your confidence and establish your own professional identity."

"That's very sweet." Donna's eyes welled a little. "He sent me a huge bouquet of flowers and a good luck note on my first day with Russell."

"At one point Mrs. Santos wondered aloud if you might be willing to help her if we won the election. I realize now looking back that's exactly where Leo had been trying to lead her all night. He said he had no doubt you were ready for the challenge of steering the 'Good Ship East Wing' as he called it."

"He was right as usual." Josh smiled as Donna blushed.

"I asked him later if you were that qualified why he was trying to get you out of the West Wing? Wouldn't you be better serving the president directly? But he just smiled and said he was hopeful that the two of you were finally going to wake up and he knew you wouldn't be able to work together after that."

"He did not," Donna scoffed.

"He did," Annabeth said. "He was hoping that as miserable as Josh was during your time apart it might spur him on to actually make a move." 

"You'd think," Donna snorted, "But yet it was me. Twice."

"That was Leo's plan B," Annabeth giggled. "That you'd get tired of waiting."

"Didn't you two have anything else to talk about other than us?" Josh began to squirm.

"Lots of long plane rides," Annabeth said as she polished off her wine. "Oh, I almost forgot," She jumped up from her seat. "The campaign photographer sent me a batch of pictures from Leo's last public appearance. There are some really good ones. Let me grab them so you can see." She headed back the hall.

Donna snuggled tightly against Josh and he placed a soft kiss on her temple. She turned her head and whispered in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too and I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to lose my temper. I just want you to be safe. That's all."

"I know you do. But I can't live in a bubble."

"Unfortunately."

"I'll tell you what I will do though. I'll call Ron in the morning and see about signing up for his next class."

Josh exhaled and his whole body relaxed. "Thank you." He dipped his head. "Thank you."

Something shiny peeking out from under a newspaper on the coffee table caught his eye.

"Hey Annabeth?"

"Yes?" she said as she reentered the room carrying a stack of photos.

"What did the key ring Leo gave you look like?"

"It was a silver cat with a tiny rhinestone collar. It was sort of an inside joke because of my online password."

"Did it look like this?" Josh plucked a key ring from its hiding place under the papers on the coffee table.

"Oh my gawd!! That's it. I must have left this morning without my keys. I do that all the time. Which incidentally is why I have an extra set at work." She grabbed the key ring and hugged it to her. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I was heartbroken at the thought of losing this. I can't believe it was right here all along."

Josh smiled at her exuberance and pulled Donna closer. "It's funny how life works that way sometimes."

FADE TO BLACK


End file.
